1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a salad bar unit of the type used for storing and dispensing hot and cold food items, and which has an overhead refrigerated cabinet that stores beverages and other items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The demand for various prepared cold food items such as fruit, vegetables, desserts and other salad items, as well as precooked hot items such as wings, and ribs, has increased considerably due to the increase in the number of working persons, and the decrease in available time for home meal preparation. As a result refrigerated salad bars and separate hot food bars are now present in many markets. Persons selecting food items often purchase soda, fruit juice and other beverages that compliment the salad or hot bar selection. It has been observed that many purchases are impulse purchases, and that customers are influenced in their purchases by the display and ready availability of merchandise. Accordingly it is desirable to be able to present the consumer with a wide variety of hot and cold food items, and simultaneously to provide beverages that compliment the food items. Various salad bar constructions have been proposed such as shown in the following U.S. Pat. No. Design 92,122 to Weiss, U.S. Pat. No. Design 220,140 to Perl, U.S. Pat. No. Design 288,040 to LeBlanc, U.S. Pat. No. Design 326,024 to Boyd et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,900,045 to Conklin et. al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,598 to Moore, Jr. No satisfactory apparatus has been previously available. The present unit offers the consumer in one location, a variety of hot and cold food items, and a selection of refrigerated beverages and other items in a self contained unit that can be easily installed, stocked and maintained.